How fish view the world.

[scipper77]

Just reading another thread and my mind started to wander.....

Is there any research out there as to what color boat is best for bass fishing??

I've heard that fish don't see color but I know that certain colors are better than others. For example the chrome/blue or firetiger rattletraps are the only color I'll use. Soft plastics that I use always produce better in watermelon or green pumpkin.

What about noises?? I know that the fish can hear an electric trolling motor. Are there certain frequencies that spook fish while others do not?

And my last random thought is on vibration. When I shore fish (mostly all of my fishing lately) I know you have to walk softly and cast down shore. Generally the bass know I'm there before I get there. That's why it's hard to catch a bass you can see.

When I fish I try to think like a fish. Are they suspending, are they deep or shallow? Are they aggressive enough for a fast presentation or will anything less than a snails pace spook them?

I realize this is a pretty scatterbrained post but I was just hoping to get a good general discussion going about the finer points of how and why we interact with the fish we are trying to catch.

 

[LadyFish]

Re: How fish view the world.

As far as boat color, I wonder if the color of your boat was a bright neon color similar to fishing lures if it would improve your fishing, or just get bites taken out of your boat.

Hmmmmm

 

[gonefishie]

Re: How fish view the world.

As far as whether fish can distinguish colors is still kind of unknown. What they do know is different color has a different sillohoute (sp?) and is more visible at a certain depth and water clarity. I don't know if there's a study on boat color but here's my opinion on why my boat hull is black instead of white. If you look at most of the predator fish they have a white belly so when a fish look up and see this big white belly he's going to run.

Look up pics of the different species of crawfish and you'll see why watermelon, green pumpkin, red and black/blue are good for plastic. Any un-natural noises will spook them, the sound of schooling bait fish attracts them hence the rattling baits and the Biosonix unit. You have to walk softly down a pond bank because they're not used to sound/vibration coming from the bank. If you're fishing along a road like rip rap, bridges ect. you don't have to be quiet because they're used to the road noise/vibration. The lateral lines on a fish can detect the smallest of vibration going through the water and they can tell the different between the wobbling (tight wobble and wide wobble) of a crankbait vs. the spinning blades on a spinnerbait or a trolling motor prop.

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: How fish view the world.

ive heard that on lakes that have alot of traffic, that the fish are used to the sounds of the boats. But as for when creeping up to a spot, im still as quiet as i can be

 

[LadyFish]

Re: How fish view the world.

GF thats a good point on the bottom paint. Most offshore fishing vessels are black or dark bottomed but are you for sure thats the reason for the paint color? It makes sense that white would spook them but I don't know. I honestly thought that "bottom paint" only came in dark colors and it was to keep muscles/crustaceans from forming.

Back to researching this.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: How fish view the world.

I have never thought much about boat color and fishing. However, I *did* paint my first boat bottom with a sky blue hoping to make it camo "sky" - probably dumb.

Fish spook from a boat because it can make them react to the "shadow" from above which reminds them of a predator or bigger fish (also a predator)

Some fish species actually will school under a boat for the same reason: predators. But these fish feel protected from above while in the shadow. Ever notice (while trolling) a mark sort of stay with you? Swimming in and out of the transducer cone? Pike do that sometimes. I know this from being in shallow water (under ten feet) and SEEING them with my eyes, while marking them with the sonar. When they moved away from the boat, off the sonar, get closer, they show up on sonar again.

So back to colors: fish DO see colors. They don't necessarily interpret colors the same as us (humans) but they differentiate color. Many studies have shown this. Salmon trolling lure "tapers" have experiemented with UV-active spectrum colors as opposed to the non-UV reactive tapes, noticing that UV-active-taped lures are more likely to get hit even though in daylight they appear the same color to the human eye.

Boat colors- don't know about this, however. My boat is white, bright white as a matter of fact. It seems to fish OK. I think the "image" of the boat is more of a factor than the color. But fish do see color, and will often respond to it.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: How fish view the world.

I'm not sure Lady Fish. It's just my non-scientific WAG thinking. I've always had black hull and won't even consider a white hull. I see plenty of white hull fishing boats though.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: How fish view the world.

My hull is white. If I were to custom color one it would have a midnight blue hull just because I like the way it looks. As for fish being able to see colors...is the sky blue? Is the sun hot? Will running aground on a sandbar or something else without expecting it make your cheeks clinch up?

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: How fish view the world.

Fish absolutely do see colors. I cant quote any scientific studies but have read this in the past.

In my own experience, it has proven to be true. Fishing for sockeye salmon you use small, red or pink hoochies (squid lures). You can use an identically shaped lure in dark green at the same depth as the one in red and the red one catches 10:1 sockeye.

It is also true that the fish at or near the surface see things differently than the fish 60' and below. Below 60' most of the red area of the visible spectrum appears gray. Only greens, blues and black will show up. Below about 120' everything appears gray. With the exception of UV. This is why UV flashers and lures are so effective for deep trolling.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: How fish view the world.

I've had much better luck fishing in my green/camo boats then in my old white or new tan boats. The green/camo boats were small and stealthier though...

Trolling motors will spook fish and I try to keep it running at slow speed instead of on/off on/off on/off at moderate/high power.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: How fish view the world.

I agree totally on the trolling motor. Mine is usually barely turning.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: How fish view the world.

They probably see the boat as more of a structure than a creature. Like a big, shiny log. It just does not resemble any natural predator. I don't think that any particular color hull is going to give them a warm fuzzy over the other.

Professional bass angler's boats have been every color under the sun and if those guys ain't worried about it's effect on fish then me and my crusty green boat are good to go.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: How fish view the world.

Speaking of the big hull looking like structure I've had shad start to jump around my boat and nowhere else around me. Couple weeks ago they were so thick around me I was getting splashed.

 

[cwilt]

Re: How fish view the world.

has anybody looked up when swimming under water, you don't see BLUE SKY.........you see white. and that white gets less as you get deeper or water clarity, i think that a darker hull will resemble structure more and white resembles sky. only my opinion

 

[CN Spots]

Re: How fish view the world.

Speaking of the big hull looking like structure I've had shad start to jump around my boat and nowhere else around me. Couple weeks ago they were so thick around me I was getting splashed.

Balled-up shad trying to swim out of the water means it's time to start fishing! They were probably being stalked by a school of predators. They would have swam up your trunks if you were in there with 'em. I've only seen them gang up directly under our boat once and it was to escape the white bass that were chasing them. The outboard was running (idle) too but they didn't seem to care.

 

[scipper77]

Re: How fish view the world.

I guess the fish are kind of like deer. The slightest smell or sound will spook them when you are trying to find em. Then when you are cruising around in a loud vehicle listening to some toons they jump out right in front of you.

I guess they know you are there, It's just a matter of if they perceive you as a threat.

Deer don't fear the car, its the person inside.

Maybe fish don't fear the boat, it's also the person inside.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: How fish view the world.

I've only seen them gang up directly under our boat once

Throw out a couple fishing lights on a dark night and see what happens... I've had them so thick under the boat before that the fish finder was reading 5' deep,,, in 60' of water

 

[Robbabob]

Re: How fish view the world.

Seems I heard nature made certain fish white on the bottom and dark on top so they couldn't be seen that easily; sort of blending in, depending on which direction they were being viewed.

How many people fish directly under their boat? Casting out "into" a spot away from the boat seems more prevalant.

I think the fish would rather be caught by a nice looking (colorful) boat; who wants to board a POS?

 

[cbavier]

Re: How fish view the world.

I can only share with you that I have caught more fish out of a painted boat than a chrome boat. I had a chrome boat and fishing was just so so. I started duck hunting so late summer painted the whole boat in Camouflage . Marine paint color Dull Dead Grass. Wow fishing became fabulous in that boat. Story short I bought another boat to tow and transport 75 Duck Decoys and all the extra gear. Didn't paint it because my wife helped me build a duck blind on it out of pipes and burlap. The next year I decided to take it out on the lake fishing. After several trips and poor fishing I switched back to the Camouflaged boat. We started catching fish again. After rupturing two disks and selling decoys and chrome boat I just had the Camouflaged boat which got too heavy for me to handle so I put it up for sale and bought another Chrome boat. Wife says when I was getting ready for fishing your not going to paint your new boat are you? Well I had planned to. Fishing was always poor in that boat. I finally sold that boat (still chrome) and bought a Four Winns Horizon 190 that was Cream and Blue. The fishing was fabulous again out of that boat. Sold that boat in June 2010 and now have a pontoon with icky looking potoons. Am I going to clean them. YES! Am I going to getting them looking chrome ? Not on your life. Fishing is good off the toon just the way it is. I do plan on getting them looking a lot cleaner and better looking than they are now in the spring. Yes I think color does make a BIG DIFFERENCE Fish don't like Chrome or shiny Aluminum. Stop and think Fish congregate under a boat for shade and coolness. The hot sun beating down on a chrome boat is hot and heats the aluminum as well as the water under the boat where as on a painted surface the aluminum doesn't get near as hot. JMO

 

[CN Spots]

Re: How fish view the world.

I don't think that a polished aluminum boat has any effect on the water temperature underneath it. Too much water volume to heat in too little time. Could be that if it is mirror polished it's reflecting light from the sun into the water and spooking them?